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Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Chinese Communists to teach 'democracy' to school children.....

BEIJING: In a significant move, the Communist Party of China has decided to teach school children the values of "freedom", "equality" and "democracy". It has asked primary schools to use songs and poetry to explain this concept.

The move comes in the midst of a population movement in Hong Kong seeking greater democratic rights. CPC is widely criticized in the western world for disallowing democratic rights to its citizens. This is the first time children are being introduced to the concept of democracy.

The government will also modify textbooks on history and morality to encourage young students to understand the values related to democracy, the official media said.

Justifying the move, the official Xinhua news agency said the country has "lost its moral compass" during three decades of economic rise. There was a need for a national campaign to rebuild faith, the party controlled Global Times newspaper said.

"These values can be promoted by encouraging composing songs and writing poems about core socialist values," it said.

The latest move raises questions on whether the party wants to prepare children for enjoying democratic rights in future. It may be considering greater reforms to introduce more democratic rights, observers said.

The school campaign runs counter to the views expressed in the local media that officials should be prevented from "being disoriented and losing themselves" to the influence of Western ideals. The party had last year issued a circular asking officials reconfirm their faith in "socialism with Chinese characteristics" and to study Marxist principles.